Published July 29, 2015
Dr. David Peterson, a 1997 exercise science graduate of the University of Louisiana
at Monroe, earned the prestigious United States Sports Academy (USSA) 2015 Alumnus
of the Year Award for his outstanding performance as a student and a professional.
Commander Peterson, a U.S. Navy Commander, currently serves as the Executive Officer
of the Physical Education Department at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis,
Md. In this role, he acts as the senior military instructor and reporting senior for
all active duty military personnel within the department.
Peterson graduated with Honors from the U.S. Sports Academy in 2014 upon receiving his
doctorate in sports management with an emphasis in health and fitness.
The academy said Peterson’s “dedication to his educational journey and commitment
to his career have been exemplary.”
Peterson also serves as director of the Human Performance Laboratory at the Naval
Academy, where he provides physiological testing and fitness counseling to various
Division I varsity and club sport athletes, as well as general Midshipmen struggling
to meet Naval Academy physical mission requirements.
Peterson is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with distinction
through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and he has published
several manuscripts on physical fitness testing within the military for the NSCA Strength
and Conditioning Journal, and Military Medicine.
Most recently, Peterson was requested to present at the NSCA annual Tactical Strength
and Conditioning Conference (TSAC). He also presented at the NSCA Delaware State Clinic.
According to the academy, Peterson has over 17 years of active duty experience, and
has provided aeromedical support to a vast number of Navy and Marine Corps aviators
and air crewmen.
Throughout Peterson’s career as a Naval Aerospace and Operational Physiologist, he
has provided aeromedical training and support on a variety of subjects including hypoxia,
spatial disorientation, and fatigue countermeasures.
About the Naval Academy
The Naval Academy’s physical education department is one of the broadest of its kind
in the nation, responsible for the physical mission development for each Midshipman
within the Brigade. This development is accomplished through structured and rigorous
instruction in the areas of swimming, personal defense, recreational sports, and administration
of the semi-annual physical readiness test. Midshipmen must meet specified physical
education requirements during each of their four years at the Naval Academy in order
to graduate.
About the U.S. Sports Academy
The United States Sports Academy is an independent, non-profit, accredited, special
mission sports university created to serve the nation and world with programs in instruction,
research, and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers
in the profession of sports.
